Student-athletes earn Academic All-American status
Lark student-athletes were recognized as Academic All-Americans by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) for the 2017-18 year. Named to the All-Academic First Team with a GPA of 4.0 were Jenna Boller (Kalona, Iowa), women’s soccer; Jade Gleason (Brush, Colo.), volleyball; Cal Hartley (Benton, Kan.), men’s basketball; Kylee Kasselman (Claflin, Kan.), volleyball; Kate Kilmer (Goshen, Ind.), women’s cross country; Cassidy King (Cochranville, Pa.), volleyball; Kaylen Lassley (Salina, Kan.), softball; Nicole Loewen (Hutchinson, Kan.), women’s tennis; Taylor Longenecker (Harrisonburg, Va.), men’s track and field, not pictured; Faith Manickam (Hesston, Kan.), women’s soccer; Elizabeth Miller (Archbold, Ohio), women’s cross country; Curtis Oesch (Caldwell, Idaho), men’s tennis; Hannah Rosenbaum (Richmond, Texas), women’s tennis; Jenna Schneider (Lodi, Calif.), softball; Morgan Sterner (Lehi, Utah), women’s basketball; Harune Suzuki (Osaka, Japan), women’s tennis; Bryson White (Fort Worth, Texas), men’s soccer; and Sadie Winter (Newton, Kan.), women’s cross country. Named to the All-Academic Second Team with a GPA of 3.80 to 3.99 were Sam Amarante (Lodi, Calif.), softball; Kenzie Brown (Estes Park, Colo.), women’s soccer; Faith Hallmark (El Dorado, Kan.), volleyball; and Caitlyn Nichols (Mesa, Colo.), women’s basketball. Named to the All-Academic Third Team with a GPA of 3.60 to 3.79 were Alexis Avalos (Yucaipa, Calif.), softball; Annalys Hanna (Fraser, Colo.), volleyball; Kaede Nakada (Tokyo, Japan), women’s tennis; and Haley Unruh (Wilmore, Kan.), volleyball.
Coach joins Lark community
Tim Cole, has been announced as the new baseball coach to lead the Larks in 2018-19. Cole spent the last six years as the pitching coach and assistant baseball coach at Southern Nazarene University (Bethany, Okla.), and has coached with Athletes in Action, leading teams to Panama and Guatemala. Cole replaces Kyle Howell, who led the Lark baseball team for three seasons and as associate head baseball coach for one year, serving primarily as a pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
Hesston College joins Kansas Jayhawk conference
Starting with the 2018-19 academic year, Hesston College will be a member of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC), one of the most respected conferences in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Hesston has a long and positive relationship with the KJCCC, having been allowed to compete against many schools in the conference without being an official member. Now, becoming a member gives Hesston a voice in conference discussion and in regional and national legislation, gives student-athletes the ability to receive conference awards for their performance, and gives teams an ease of scheduling, among other benefits. The KJCCC is now home to all NJCAA affiliated colleges in Kansas. The conference consists of 21 Division I and II schools, and oversees competition in 17 sports.